Canonical Plans Ubuntu Release For Tablet PCs

It's one thing when Apple tips their hat to Microsoft by announcing that
Bing is now a selectable search engine within the next iOS release, but
when someone in the Linux world gives a hat tip to Apple, well, we all
had to check and make sure the world below wasn't frozen over.
Canonical's CEO Chris Kenyon recently had a discussion surrounding
tablets and slate PCs, and this is one of the lines: "The devices world
is a really exciting space right now and we're really
bullish on it; hats off to the iPad team for doing what they did."

There's no doubt that many people are crediting Apple to bringing
mainstream attention to a form factor that failed years ago in most
sectors, and now everyone seems to be putting together plans to rival
the Apple tablet that has managed to sell two million units in around
two months. What's interesting is that a major Linux build is also
following suit, not waiting to see if this bandwagon will be short
lived. Canonical is responsible for what's possible the world's most
popular consumer Linux build: Ubuntu.

It's still not used nearly as much as Windows or OS X, but it certainly
has a dedicated user base that's growing by the day. In the near future,
we may see an Ubuntu tailored specifically for tablets, as the company
strives to extend their presence in the mobile arena. According to
Kenyon, Ubuntu could be customized for tablets by late in next year's
Q1, with him stating that the company has "broader and bigger ambitions
than just netbooks." In fact, Ubuntu already has a build made
specifically for netbooks, so it shouldn't be too difficult to whittle
that down a bit more for extra mobile devices.

The tablet-specific version will be built about v10.10, which is
currently code-named Maverick Meerkat in keeping with tradition. There
are also plans to merge the tablet and netbook OS into a single Ubuntu
Light, which certainly makes a lot of sense given the move to touch even
in the netbook space. It'll be interesting to see how this shakes out;
Microsoft seems content with using a full version of Windows 7 even on
tablets, while some consumers may prefer a more stripped-down
experience. Could this be an opportunity for Linux to leapfrog Windows?
Maybe!